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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stock — shares
  7. object — an aim
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. object — to protest
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stock — goods
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kick — in football
  15. rest — a break
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ball — a great time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. object — a thing
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com